Gus recently discovered Retro Renovation while searching for advice about the vintage pink bathroom in his newly purchased 1956 home. While he is a fan of mid century design, Gus isn’t sold on all of the pink in his master bathroom. In addition to his uncertainty about the color, Gus wishes his bathroom had a few more functional updates — such as more storage in the shower for toiletries. So, Gus has asked us for our ideas to help with his Retro Renovation Design Dilemma.
Gus writes:
I’m a 30-year-old male from Florida and I recently purchased a 1956 mid-century modern home with terrazzo floors and exposed beam ceilings. The house has a pink master bath (half of all walls tiled in pink, terrazzo floor, pink sunken shower, weird angled vanity, metal ring around pink double sinks… basically classic pink bath).
Some of the tiles have flamingos and fish picture tiles (I’m guessing original owners did it since it’s Florida).
To be honest… I h*** [edited] them. I want to re-tile with a “friendlier” color scheme for re-sale. Am I really ruining good potential? Is there any compromise I can easily do (wall color…take down some portion of the tile, etc)? Update faucets?
I’m trying to be opened minded (since I want to stay true to the mid-century vibe), so please don’t take my post the wrong way. It’s just difficult to envision me as a retro lover. Anyone have advice on how to incorporate “new” features with the retro?
I want to make the spaces more masculine and fit my personal style which is mid century modern, but I feel the amount of pink makes it a little too monochromatic for me. Since I need to remove some tiles to replace the shower fixtures, what should I replace them with? I also want to add a niche in the wall to hold shampoo bottles, but the only place would be by the flamingo tiles.
As a fun bonus I added some photos of my second bathroom too!
Ok readers — now it is your turn to pipe in with ideas:
How can Gus decorate his bathroom to achieve his style goals,
as well as add some storage to the shower area?
Kate’s ideas to make a pink bathroom more masculine:
Gus, I really like your pink bathroom. The vanity and sinks are my favorite part. It isn’t often that you find a vintage vanity like that with hairpin legs and an extra thick laminate countertop. The sinks are gorgeous and the whole bathroom looks to be in very good condition.
As someone who is still working on building a retro pink bathroom of my own (having demolished a bathroom with poor layout that was not in good shape) I would recommend leaving as much of this bathroom intact as possible. It is hard work to gut one of these (likely) cement set tile bathrooms and costs lots of money to rebuild the bathroom afterwards.
“Re-tile with a friendlier color for resale?” Wait! With the rise in popularity of mid century and retro design in the last few years, more and more house hunters are looking for original character and details like this. My advice would be to renovate this bathroom as minimally as possible. You can never know what the next owners of the house will want. They could dislike whatever you might want to do to this bathroom. We are advocates of “love the house your in” here, but we also recognize the homeowner’s need to make their house work for them. That being said, it is always best to live in your house for a while before making any expensive or extensive changes. That way you can see what you like and dislike about each room before doing anything drastic or irreversible.
Kate’s solution #1: The grey area between feathers and stone
Since the original vanity is black with a neutral patterned grey laminate top, I suggest you add more of these elements to the room. Painting the walls a dark grey will help make the room feel less pastel pink immediately. This look was inspired by our recent post on Robert’s pink and black bathroom makeover. Just as Robert played up the black trim tile in his bathroom, adding more dark grey and black to your bathroom will make it feel more masculine.
Once you have the walls painted, it is just a matter of adding some accessories to the space. This black and white abstract design shower curtain from Target mimics the design on the laminate counter top and has a modern feel. Black bath towels coordinate well with the room or, to give a nod to the vintage “His and Hers” towels that were common in the 1950s and 1960s — a “Mr.” hand towel from Bed, Bath & Beyond gives a nod to the vintage while also proclaiming “this is a man’s bathroom.” Also from BBB, Shiny black and chrome bath accessories add polish to the space. Finally, adding a framed vintage flamingo print or two framed in black — like these from Ebay seller yorkietoy — repeat the flamingo theme from the decorative shower tiles without going overboard.
Kate’s solution #2: A flock of feathered friends
For this mood board, we continue to play up the black and grey in the space. Instead of paint this time — this Cole & Son flamingo wallpaper pays homage to the vintage flamingo shower tiles and the house’s tropical location in Florida. Adding a third color — the teal green from the wallpaper — gives the room more visual interest. Repeating this teal green in the towels and vinyl bubbles shower curtain helps the room’s design feel more cohesive. Finally adding a shiny stainless steel bath set helps repeat the chrome from the fixtures and hardware. When it comes to finding space to store your shampoo in the shower — instead of taking out tile to add a recessed niche — consider installing a ceramic corner bath shelf, which can be applied to the existing tile without tearing anything out.
Pam’s ideas for this pink bathroom:
Gus, Gus, Gus. Your pink bathroom looks to be an absolute gem. You knew we would say that, though, didn’t you?
I think that Kate’s mood boards are fabulous — so I don’t even need to do one.
I will add a few additional thoughts, which underscore some of the things she said:
- Remodeling for resale is quite often, a fool’s paradise. Read my story “Remodel and watch your investment plunge.” You typically do NOT make your money back when you remodel.
- There are plenty of folks who are looking for vintage houses with original features. Make that your goal if you plan to sell… Find a real estate agent who specializes in listing and selling mid century properties and as a result, connect with the kinds of people most interested in these vintage/historic houses. Read this important story, with interviews with three such experts — How to sell a midcentury house full of original features.
- I am covering my ears at the mere thought your considering removing those vintage flamingo tiles — which our resident tile expert Bungalow Bill points out are worth hundreds of dollars today! Virtually everything in that bathroom is SUPER COOL. You just need to get your head around a style that you may not be accustomed to seeing. You can do it, we know you can!
- A super key rule for any serious Retro Renovator just getting into their house, which may have features that at first, seem “odd” or undesirable to them: WAIT AT LEAST ONE YEAR to do anything you could later regret (unless there are safety or environmental issues, of course.) Learn about what you have… see if your mindset changes once you fully understand its history.
- Be sure to read everything on our other little website, Save The Pink Bathrooms. You are now the lucky caretaker of one of the most famous and, increasingly, most desirable features in a mid century house. Go with the flow!
- If you need replacement pink tiles for the shower area, see this story about World of Tile, which carries 95 colors of replacement pink tile. As many readers have mentioned — all the tiles in your bathroom are likely “mud set” — that is, set into cement. These are hallacious to take out. You will have a ginormous mess on your hands if you try to take out just a few.
- Oh, and your other bathroom, equally fabulous.
- For more storage in the shower, try this Simplehuman Adjustable Tension Shower Caddy (affiliate link) — preferable if it will fit your floor-to-ceiling height. If your ceiling is too high, go for Simplehuman Adjustable Corner Shower Caddy (affiliate link). A reader recently recommended these Simplehuman shower caddies — and I bought them for my bathrooms (one each.) They are very nice. They fit a lot of bottles. You have a really long shower — you definitely have the space. Don’t mess with that tile! If there are plumbing issues — can you go in via the other side of the wall?
UPDATE: After this story aired, I heard from Gus who writes:
It was definitely surreal to see so many people comment – and especially knowing someone recognized the flamingo tiles. I will definitely take all the input into consideration and will hold off on doing anything drastic. I appreciate what your website has done for allowing uninformed home owners (like me) to embrace restoration.
My plan forward is to hold off for a while until I have a set idea of what works/doesn’t work functional-wise instead of going full force too soon. I had just always envisioned an updated bathroom and never a 50s bathroom, so it was difficult to overcome the desire to renovate. I think in time I will learn to embrace the style more. As a side note, rest assured that I have not had that same mind frame with the rest of my house. There are many mid-century elements (like my indoor planters) that I have painstakingly worked on preserving.
Gus, we’re glad you are taking the time to live with the space before doing anything drastic. It will be interesting to see what you end up deciding to do (or not do). Keep us in the loop.
Katie B. says
Beautiful bathroom! I absolutely love that vanity! If it were my bathroom I would paint the walls dark grey and bring in dark grey/black accessories. If you don’t like the flamingos, I say remove them (intact if possible) and tile in a niche using grey tile. To me there isn’t too much pink that you need to demo the whole thing, especially if it’s only for resale purposes. The next owners will probably want something totally different anyway, no matter what you choose. I don’t know what your style is like, but I would decorate with simple modern accessories in black or grey, including towels. My sister got a shower curtain with a black and white cityscape that would look good here. I’ll see if I can find it online. At any rate, just have fun with it and see where it takes you! 🙂
Katie B. says
http://m.target.com/p/room-essentials-shower-curtain-city-scape-72×70/-/A-13950880
This is similar to the one I was thinking of. Like someone said above, you wouldn’t have to look at the pink tile so much with the curtain closed.
Lisa9000 says
I just bought the same cityscape shower curtain for the same purpose. My 1958 bathroom has a hall bathroom with yellow tile (I wasn’t lucky enough to get pink tile!) However I am also looking to tone down the sea of yellow. I played up the gray accent tile by buying charcoal gray tiles and installing the cityscape shower curtain. I also pulled out the horrible yucky blue carpet (YES! – carpet in both bathrooms!) and replaced with a river rock grouted floor. I found an old industrial type wall cabinet to hold tiles and toiletries. I looked long and hard to find a house with both vintage tile bathrooms intact – just wish one of them had been pink…..
Diane says
You could go more dramatic by painting the upper walls black and adding black towels, etc. Don’t fight the pink if you’re not gutting it, that will make it just stand out more. Incorporate it and the results will be much more pleasing. I agree with the above comment too about waiting to make big changes, and there are a lot of storage choices with small shelves, etc. I LOVE the under the sink cabinet– very stylish! Good luck– hope you show us any changes you make.
Janet in CT says
I agree with all the comments so I can’t add much of anything. But I did come up with the same exact thing as Diane; I think black walls would make your bathroom very dramatic. As for removing the tile, what fixture needs replacing? We had to replace the drain in ours and had to remove the faucet a foot up the tile wall too. Unfortunately, we found alot of damage behind the chiclet sized tiles and it was also rotten behind the soap dish. This necessitated removing alot of those tiny tiles and we didn’t have enough to repair the damage. Sadly, we had to install a new molded shower enclosure over the walls. I love the flamingo tiles and I would do anything to save those! My advice is to consult/hire a professional to fix the tile areas, if possible, as you may end up removing alot more than you originally thought, as in our case. We use one of those hardware store chromed utility shelves which hook over the shower head pipe – kinda ugly but we replace it every few months as our water is terribly corrosive. I think you can buy them in white and for hanging in corner installations too, which was suggested and is the simplest way. I think both your bathrooms are to die for!
Jay says
Nice flamingo tiles. Please try to preserve them as decorative accents if you decide to redo the shower. Nice Terazzo floor and sink cabinets. Have you thought about using the blue/green colors in those tiles for the walls above the tile? Might counterbalance all that pink. Redoing the bathroom strictly for resale probably won’t make you any happier. Anyway you came to the right place. Sit back and enjoy all the suggestions sure to come your way.
Roundhouse Sarah says
My favorite part of the bath is the sink area. I love the slanted vanity and the combo of pink and grey. I would pick a light grey for the walls.
Replacing hardware will be more trouble than its worth. So will be removing a portion of tile. This will never work like intended. You will end up cracking or breaking off more tile than intended. The tile is applied with very thick mortar with wire mesh in between, it was built to last.
They have shower curtains with pouches that store all of your toiletries. They even have tension pole shelving that may be able to fit in a corner of the shower.
The flamingoes may grow on you, some sellers on ebay charge hundreds of dollars for those tiles.
Rather than removing tile… Which I would consider in the sunken bath if that window wasn’t in the way of tiling all the way up…is perhaps a company like miracle method could coat a portion of your tile gray or whatever to have less pink in the bathroom.
Roundhouse Sarah says
I have to say this again… ‘Chipping’ out tile should not even be considered. Take it all out and start over or leave it alone. There will be no delicate chipping out. One usually needs a sledge hammer to get through that tile. Then what… How are you going to get clean lines to tile out a niche? With what tool? You also better be spot on in placement. Niches go in between studs and where they are exactly is never 100% known before hand.
I just think you will majorly regret trying to do this idea the minute you hit the tile.
Jay says
Thanks for stating the obvious. Many people don’t realize that bath tile isn’t adhered to drywall or plywall so you can’t just cut a little opening, the tile will shatter. It’s either redo all or keep existing. Probably what most people would advocate is rebuilding just the shower if niches and/or shelves are a must but matching the existing tile is another whole subject.
tammyCA says
Right. Our contractor asked if we wanted a niche if the studs happened to be in the right area…they were and it worked. I wanted to see if they could salvage any of the better original tiles so I could donate them but there was no way..they really were set very well in the ’50s.
Catherine says
Pink hasn’t always been considered a feminine color, and I think there may be possibilities to make your bathroom seem very dynamic with a pink-and-red or pink-and-navy color scheme, especially if you go for a streamlined look with accessories.
Since you want to add a shower niche, I’m wondering if it would be possible to chip out the flamingos and replace them with a contrasting color that coordinates with what you use for the niche. Many here will love the flamingos, but they are probably the biggest factor in the vibe that you say doesn’t suit you.
I had the same or a similar vanity in an apartment I used to rent, and it was very practical–very comfortable to stand at because of the angle. The huge vanity and huge mirror are two great features of your bathroom.
If resale value is your main concern, I think you’d get better return just putting the money you’d spend in your retirement account, if the bathroom is in good condition.
June Cahill says
First – I’d like to say you are one LUCKY guy!. Second – WAIT. When you have a ‘new’ home it’s always wise to wait a year – see how the light hits various rooms during the different seasons before you do any MAJOR remodeling/changing. As a realtor, I have clients who would LOVE to find an older home with two original baths – the tile work that was considered ‘standard’ back in the day is way expensive to recreate now. Love the grey with pink idea – add towels, new, more vibrant shower curtain and floor rug. (mmm – terrazzo – you lucky dog!) Try some halogen lighting – that always makes everything look warmer. I understand you’re thoughts about the flamingos, but they are so charming – and go so nicely with the “Florida 50s/60s” vibe. Enjoy the home you’re in!
mikeD says
I think the bathroom is pretty darn cool as it is and with just a few things could really special. that sink area is killer! I can relate with you on not being a huge fan of the pink to begin with. You should read through the write up Pam did on my two pink bathrooms and you might pick up a few things. I think you could spruce it up for not much money at all
https://retrorenovation.com/2013/01/28/vintage-pink-master-bedroom-remodel-combining-vintage-modern-save-1400/
https://retrorenovation.com/2012/06/04/ideas-to-decorate-a-vintage-bathroom-mike-and-lindseys-retro-modern-pink-bathroom-before-after/
Paint
– picking a complimentary wall color will really change the feel of the room. I am a fan of gray to go with the pink, but it needs to work with your floors and counter top as well.
Vanity light
– Don’t have any specific recommendations, but lighting style is very important to pull off the right look. Maybe two separate ones above each sink instead of one all the way across.
Mirror
– I think two large round mirrors over each sink could add a more distinct look. Nothing heavy, maybe just a slim crome frame around each
Shower head
– Not a fan of how those removable wand type look. Unless you just love the function of them, get rid of it.
Flamingo tiles
– I don’t blame you on not liking them, not my thing either. If you can find a skilled type person they should be able to remove them and you could replace with a solid color and compliments the walls and floors
It is a great canvas and has great bones!
-Mike
Kristin says
My home (a 1957 mid century ranch) has a very similiar “pink style” bathroom. When we first purchased the house, my husband (who has only become a mid century “believer” thru me) really didn’t like the pink bathroom. He thought it was too girly… too much pink… too old looking.
My best advice to you is to WAIT a little while before you make any serious changes. In my case, we had other work that had to be done to our home that was much more critical than gutting a bathroom so we were forced to wait. During that time I made a few minor changes to freshen things up– I painted the top half of the walls a medium gray and I painted the wood trim and cabinetry white. I found a neutral retro-ish shower curtain and matching floor rugs. They have cream, white and black in them. After about a year, my husband now admits that the bathroom has “grown” on him. I don’t think he will ever admit that he actually really likes it, however, I know he likes it because it is the first room he wants to show people when they come over to see our home.
As for storage, I didn’t have the capability of changing the tile in the shower so I just bought one of the suction cup caddies to give us a little bit more storage in the bathroom and it has worked great. It is not the nicest looking, but I keep my shower curtain closed most of the time so no visitors see it. That’s another suggestion to tone down your “sea of pink”… if you don’t do it already, keep your shower curtain closed. You practically gain an entire wall of another color when you do that… helping lessen the pink.
Good luck!
Kristin says
P.S.: My laminate countertop is the very similar to yours as well– really thick edge and a very similar laminate pattern. I also have a pink drop-in sink with a metal trim ring around it.
Rascal says
You can reduce the appearance of a sea of pink with different color accessories. The shower curtain’s neutral color doesn’t really help. If it had colors from the flamingo tile: green, blue, turquoise or black, it would compete with the pink for attention. Also, simply pull the curtain closed and it will block the view of a lot of the pink in the shower area. If the new curtain is somewhat translucent, it will still let some natural light in, Whatever color curtain you choose, bring some of that color onto the vanity in accessories. It will draw your eye to the not-pink color.
Erin in Ohio says
Congrats on your new home! Judging from the bathrooms, it’s lovely!
If you have to remove tiles for any of your changes, I’d suggest removing them as carefully as possible, and you may be able to preserve them and use elsewhere as needed.
I’d be sad to see the flamingo tiles go, but it’s really importantant to have functionality in a shower. I highly recommend putting in a niche or two and possibly corner shelving. My husband and I installed a niche and corner shelving from http://www.danielskitchenbath.com/, and we could not have been happier with the results. Our 40’s bathroom still looked authentically mid-century but became much more user-friendly!
Jennifer Kepesh says
It’s as though you read my mind! We were able to save mural tiles when we redid a bathroom (Southwest motif, rather than Floridian, but same diff), and they ended up elsewhere in the house. Also, corner storage–yes! But this can be achieved without building in, and more cheaply, if our friend wishes.
Another thought about the pink bathroom: What if this were a non-gendered color, such as apricot? Would you still be so sure you need to change the bathroom–does the reason go beyond “pink is girly, and I’m a 30-year-old guy”? Perhaps your reason is that it feels too monochromatic….try to notice what it is that gives you such discomfort about the color and see what could drive the change.
My feeling when I look at this bathroom is that it’s just a little too monochromatic, which is how I often feel when I see a small space which has a lot of one very bold color.
My impulse would be to add a vibrant green, perhaps a set of three horizontal stripes around the bathroom with the middle one wide and the others very narrow, and add some other vibrant green touches, particularly a lush plant, reminiscent of a 50s lawn/patio complete with flamingoes (on the tile). Bright green goes well with pink and retro-outdoor tones down the gender associations. Another option, though probably not that great an idea in humid Florida, would be a striped wallpaper with metallic stripes, or a busy-ish retro wallpaper with repeated scenes of something Floridian, but in a master bathroom, that would probably be a little to kiddy.
Good luck!
DIane in CO says
Metal corner shower baskets (we double-stacked ours about 13″ apart) are wonderful — much more attractive than the plastic shower caddies. Do chrome.
Example:
http://www.fixtureuniverse.com/shower-caddies-shelves/gatco-85in-corner-basket-shower-caddy_1299240.html?af=1526&cse=1526&gclid=CK-Y4fGjnroCFelAMgodajkAQQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
J.M. says
Wow……..your bathrooms look phenomenal. I would just add some big fluffy white towels and hang one of those metal racks over the shower head to hold shampoo bottles. Maybe you could change out the mirrors but I would not disturb the tiles if at all possible.